Sister McKenna Watts - Chicago Illinois Mission: Week 26

Hello my cute family. :)

It is so fun to hear from all of you guys and hear how you guys are all doing. I am so blessed to have the most supportive and and loving family in the world. Thank you for all the prayers and support, I am so grateful for you guys.

This week has been really awesome. It has been a total whirlwind and has been quite the adventure. It was sad for me to leave LaPorte, because I loved it so much. But I am so grateful to be serving here in Gurnee. I love it here. :) We have 16 missionaries serving here in the area and it is so much fun to get to serve around so many missionaries. The ward is honestly such a blast. A large majority of our ward are super young families who have just moved here for med school and they are so darling. :) We have a few families that are pretty established and have older kids who have been here for awhile but most of them have brand new families and are so much fun. It has been a blast to get to know them. Heavenly Father has absolutely been looking out for me, He has been helping me feel comfortable and at home here in this area. It has been the coolest miracle, but honestly for majority of the members that I have met I have known someone that they know from home and It has been so much fun. :) Almost every time someone has said "Oh! You're from Layton? Do you know...?" "woah. :) ya! I totally know them." I have loved it. :) I feel like every time I started to feel a little out of place I would find someone that I knew. It has been such a tender mercy.

Dead bird on porch - Door knocking in Gurnee

We are doing a lot of finding in this area and it is a lot of fun. :) I am learning to talk to everyone and to be looking for opportunities all around me to share the gospel with my brothers and sisters around me. We had to take our car into the shop and while we were there waiting the cutest girl in the whole world came up to us and started talking with us. We talked with her for a solid hour and she was just so kind to us. :) She was really interested in us as missionaries and was asking us a lot of questions about what we do and why we do it. It was incredible to testify to her about Jesus Christ and about how his church is on the earth again today. We were able to teach her about the restoration and she was hanging on every word that we were saying.

:) When we were done talking with her use thanked us for talking to her and sharing with her the things that we love and the truths that are so special to us. She wasn't interested in taking a Book of Mormon or coming to church with us, but while we were talking to her I had the strongest feeling that she might not be ready to accept the gospel now, but in the future she will. We were there at that time to plant a seed and to introduce her to this truth. I know that one day she will remember the spirit that was there when we testified to her and she will want that feeling again. :) It was awesome.

Carwash - then it rained :)

We had a super fun finding activity this week was so much fun. :) We had a free missionary car wash at the church Saturday morning. All of the missionaries in the area were here on Saturday and we would wash people's cars while we would give them tours of the building. We were super excited for it, but then we realized that the high school swim team was having a car wash just down the street from us, and most of the cars were going there. Haha it was pretty funny. :) we had missionaries who were outside waving signs to help people want to come to our car wash when the swim team started doing the same thing. It was pretty funny. :) So for almost the whole day we were competing for cars to wash with the swim team. :) But it actually turned out to be the most awesome miracle. We had a few less cars than we would have hoped for or expected to have but every single person who came to get their car washed, and who was able to come inside the building was totally interested in hearing about the gospel. They were anxious and excited about the message that we had to share. :) We had a table that had Books of Mormon, Restoration pamphlets, pass along cards, and DVDs ready for people take. :) Many of the people who came into the building said "Thank you! See you tomorrow at church" :) It was amazing to see Heavenly Father placing these people in our paths so that they could learn more about how Christ's church is on the earth.

I loved the car wash and had so much fun serving the community and getting to be with so many missionaries. It was such a fun day. :)

Sister Boyd and Sister Watts

Sister Boyd and I have been trying really hard to work with the members more so that we can help the area to progress. :) We have had some incredible lessons with members and the spirit has been so strong. It has been so cool. :) I love my mission so much and it has been so incredible to talk about the experiences that I have had with so many of the members. One of the Scriptures that I love to share with the members is Helaman 6:3 "Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites. And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great JOY." My mission has brought me so much joy and has helped me feel a happiness that I have never felt before. I love it with all of my heart and I am so grateful that I am getting to serve here, it is the greatest blessing that I have ever had. Wh

ether we are teaching lessons, planting seeds, reactivating less active members, or seeing baptisms it doesn't matter. :) I am here to do the Lords work and I am happy and grateful that he has asked me to help him I love you guys so much. :) Have an incredible week!! Thank you for everything!

LOVE, Sister Watts